Trail racks up 48-14 win against Shenandoah

OLD WASHINGTON -- Host Buckeye Trail High scored the first seven touchdowns Friday night against Pioneer Valley Conference rival Shenandoah en route to a 48-14 victory, the Warriors' fourth win of the season.

Buckeye Trail (4-2, 3-0 PVC) scored a trio of touchdowns in the opening quarter, a pair in the second frame and one each in the third and fourth quarters en route to the 34-point victory over the visiting Zeps (0-6, 0-2 PVC). The scoring plays included a kickoff return, an interception return for touchdown and five rushing scores.

Defensively, the Warriors finished with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Trail also forced Shenandoah to turn the ball over on downs six times in the game.

"This was a good win for us," said Trail coach Dale Broomhall. "It was a great team effort. I'm happy with our seniors. All of our seniors contributed last week and all the seniors contributed this week. Our underclassmen also contributed tonight. It's good to be 4-2. Not a lot of people thought we would be 4-2, but we believed in ourselves.

"We are going places that this team has not been in a while," Broomhall continued. "We didn't look past Shenandoah, and the kids came out and played hard tonight. We are receiving a good team effort every week."

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The veteran coach believed the game was won in the trenches.

"Our offensive and defensive lines played really well," said Broomhall. "We have been telling the kids all year that we are a physical football team, and we have been playing like we are a physical team."

For the Zeps and first-year coach Kaleb Lawrence, disaster struck early and often in the first quarter starting with the opening kickoff that was returned 71 yards to paydirt by Trail's Tyler Starr.

Ian Wildes' point-after conversion kick gave the hosts a 7-0 cushion with 11:46 on the first quarter clock.

An interception by Trail's Morgan Dougherty and a fumble recovered by the Warriors' Cory Cutlip halted the Zeps' first two drives of the game -- both leading to touchdowns for the hosts.

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"We gave them too many chances," said Lawrence. "I think maybe we are afraid of success. We talk the kids up and they get excited, but you still have to come out and live up to it (hype). They are so close, and when good things happen, we go, but we just need to be more consistent."

Following the interception, Trail needed just six plays to cover a 39-yard drive that was capped by a two-yard TD run by Seth Doudna. The point-after attempt failed, leaving the Warriors with a 13-0 lead at the 8:25 mark of the first frame.

Doudna tallied 42 yards on four carries before missing the second half with an injury.

The Zeps fumble led to a two-yard scoring run by Lane Starr with 3:40 to play in the opening stanza and Wildes' second PAT kick gave Trail a 20-0 lead.

Starr finished the game with 54 yards on 16 totes, with his scoring run capping a seven-play, 51-yard drive.

After both teams failed to find the end zone on their ensuing possessions, Trail again lit the scoreboard at the 9:19 mark of the second quarter on a 17-yard interception return for touchdown by Tyler Nealey with 9:19 to play in the opening half.

Wildes' third point-after kick increased the lead to 27-0 for the Warriors.

In addition to the defensive score, Nealey rushed for a team-high 102 yards on 13 carries that included a 15-yard TD run.

"Tyler Nealey had one heck of a game," said Broomhall. "We are a difficult team to prepare for because we can line up and run the ball or we can throw the ball, but if we run like we did tonight, we don't have to pass."

As a team, Trail finished the night with 203 rushing yards on 47 carries.

The final TD of the first half came with just seven ticks on the clock following Shenandoah's second lost fumble of the opening 24 minutes.

Cutlip again pounced on the loose ball inside the Shenandoah nine-yard line, setting the stage for Morgan Dougherty's nine-yard TD run. The PAT kick was once again successful for a 34-0 lead at the half.

Trail also opened the second half scoring with a 13-yard run by Lane Starr at the 8:14 mark of the third quarter.

The touchdown run and point-after kick by Wildes capped a five-play, 42-yard drive that was set up by CJ Beaver's interception, giving the Warriors a 41-0 advantage.

Shenandoah finally scored with 4:17 to play in the third when an errant snap sailed past Dougherty, and he was tackled in the end zone after scooping up the ball. The safety cut the deficit to 41-2.

Nealey scored on a 15-yard run to open the fourth quarter scoring with 10:55 on the scoreboard clock. Wildes' final point-after kick sailed through the uprights and gave the Warriors a 48-2 lead.

Shenandoah accounted for the next two touchdowns on 40-yard and 30-yard TD runs by freshman tailback Michael Vanfossen, who finished the game with 129 yards on 23 carries.

"In just three games, Vanfossen is our leading rusher," said Lawrence. "He is just a freshman and when need to get him in the weight room. If he does that, he will be one heck of a back his junior and senior years. We are building for the future."

Both point-after attempts failed, leaving the Zeps on the short-end of a 48-14 margin.

Brett Shipman also tallied an interception to help the Trail defensive effort. Meanwhile, Shenandoah's Ethan McKee tallied an interception and Chance Wheeler recovered a Trail fumble.

NEXT-- Both teams play at home Friday, Buckeye Trail against Fort Frye and Shenandoah against Monroe Central. Kickoff at both sites is 7 p.m.